


Nascent

by Rey_Lo



Series: Shelter from the Storm [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Balance in the Force (Star Wars), Ben Solo Lives, Ben and Rey in exile, Ben and Rey shock the Lanai with their antics, Caretakers - Freeform, Devoted Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Established Relationship, F/M, Grey Jedi, Herbalism, Lanai - Freeform, Mild Sexual Content, Morning Sickness, Planet Ahch-To (Star Wars), Post-Canon, Pregnancy, Redeemed Ben Solo, Soft Ben Solo, Soft Rey (Star Wars), Vomiting, aka Lanai Love Island
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:09:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27701860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rey_Lo/pseuds/Rey_Lo
Summary: There always had to be the days of darkness and cold before the warmth and light returned. That was the balance that the Lanai’s believed in. One that Alcida-Auka could see in this pair of Outsiders, where rough words and angry posturing with their weapons was swiftly remedied by tender whisperings and their mating dance. Even if it had sometimes led to a fellow Lanai observing more than they had ever wished to see.The Niece has returned to Ahch-To with a mate. Alcida-Auka reflects on the behaviour of these new Outsiders and uses her medicinal knowledge to help the Niece who has started being sick all of a sudden...
Relationships: Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: Shelter from the Storm [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2025952
Comments: 12
Kudos: 92
Collections: Reylo Hidden Gems





	Nascent

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Andrina_Nightshade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Andrina_Nightshade/gifts).



> The idea for this story has come from this [prompt](https://twitter.com/reylomicrofics/status/1312410929313640451) from [@reylomicrofics](https://twitter.com/reylomicrofics), specifically the picture of herbs. A lot of the microfics I have posted from their prompts have Ben and Rey living together on Ahch-To following the end of the war. I love the Ahch-To parts of the The Last Jedi film and novelisation and the Lanai who live there, especially Alcida-Auka, and this will part of a series of their life post-canon. 
> 
> Please note the trigger warnings of pregnancy and morning sickness/vomiting in the story so please don't read if this makes you uncomfortable. 
> 
> In the story Alcida-Auka makes a medicinal tea for Rey to alleviate her morning sickness. The ingredients used are what you would find in teas marketed for allieviating morning sickness symptoms including ginger, mint and lemon (luckily all found in Star Wars according to Wookieepedia!) Please always use caution when pregnant and only use these teas or other herbal remedies after advice from your health care provider. 
> 
> I want to thank the members of The Workshop group on Discord for the sprints and support while writing this. 
> 
> Last but not least I want to say a huge thank you to [Andrina_Nightshade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Andrina_Nightshade/pseuds/Andrina_Nightshade) for betaing this work and also suggesting the title and making the beautiful moodpboard. Nascent (aka Lanai Love Island) was always meant for you to say thank you for all the support and friendship you have given me. Thank you for being a wonderful friend. 
> 
> Please check out her work too. Its amazing!

It was the fourth morning that week that she had found the Niece, hunched over, and voiding the contents of her breakfast. Sensing her presence, the Niece had held out her hand, keeping her away as she retched against Terna-Gentu’s home. The previous morning, she had run, hand clutched over her month to the edge of the harbour wall, heaving her stomach contents into the swirling water below. Alcida-Auka had gently chided the younger Caretakers to stop gaping at the sight as if they were half witted porg’s and to continue their preparation of the fish for the evening meal. The Niece had returned, pale-faced and trembling, making her apologies before beating a hasty retreat when her eyes had again alighted on the half-gutted fish in the Caretakers hands.

The onset of sickness, along with the conspicuous absence of bloodied cloths among the garments that she had brought recently to wash alongside the Caretakers, only sought to further confirm to Alcida-Auka what she had started to suspect could be ailing the young female.

Not that she was surprised about this new development. Since the Niece had returned to the Island, bringing with her the Nephew, the frequency of their amorous displays had become a source of amusement and gossip, especially amongst the younger Caretakers. They were almost as bad as the porg’s who mated whenever and wherever the notion took them. Many an unsuspecting Caretaker had come across the copulating pair as they went about their daily duties, often rushing back to the village to share what they had seen. Alcida-Auka had had to scold several of her daughters and nieces for gossiping about the Outsiders whilst in dereliction of the chores that were needed to be done. Though she could almost understand why the younger daughters of the village were fascinated by these strange Outsiders, so unlike the one that had come before them or the others they sang about in the songs of old. The Caretakers copulated in private, away from the eyes of others, in the brief time they had with their mates before they returned to the sea.

Alcida-Auka herself had seen them herself on one occasion, one late evening, when she had gone to gather the sweet Nepeta that grew in the sheltered fields that lay to the west of the Island. It had been a warmer planting season than usual, and the crop was beginning to flower. Alcida-Auka was anxious to replenish the petals that she used to make the medicinal teas she prepared. Her own mother found the Nepeta useful in easing the aches and pains her advancing years brought her and had been urging her daughter to make more of the concoction. She heard the thrum of their weapons before she had spied them. It was a strangely comforting sound, given the destruction she knew their blades of light could wield. The last Outsider (who the Nephew claimed was actually his Uncle) had rarely used the weapon he possessed. Indeed, he had seldom brought it out of the hut he inhabited, preferring to use the tools he had constructed from materials gathered from the Island, to kill his food.

He had seemed almost afraid of it.

The new Outsiders, however, were often to be found wielding their weapons against each other as the songs of old described. As Alcida-Auka had crested the hill she had observed them below in the small valley, their blades repeatedly meeting to crackle and hiss as the pair had moved together. It was as if they were almost dancing, one instantly responding to the others moves. Alcida-Auka had paused for a few moments, telling herself it was because she needed to catch her breath and not because she was intrigued by the spectacle before her, the hues of their weapons highlighting them as they moved in the shadows caused by the late evening light of the setting suns. He had the obvious advantage of his physical size and the strength that it inferred, but she was quicker and more suited to using the natural features of the valley that surrounded them to her advantage, gaining the higher ground so he had to withdraw, while she attacked. Whilst it had been a mesmerising sight, Alcida-Auka had continued her journey, anxious to reach her destination to ensure she would return to her village before the evening meal was served.

On her return from the growing fields, her basket laden with the sweet scented Nepeta blooms, she had passed them again. This time, however, the dance they were partaking in was of an entirely different nature. Night had begun to descend on the Island, and she might have not seen them if the moon had not illuminated the Nephew’s pale skin. They had both shed their clothing and she was sitting astride him, gently rolling her body against his, their eyes locked together. At first, Alcida-Auka felt indignation that the two were once again copulating in plain sight, in blatant disregard of the sacredness of the Island but then other feelings had taken over, compassion, protectiveness and a sense of hope. She recalled the haunted look of the two Outsiders when they had first arrived, over three seasons ago, just as the wind had changed bringing with it the first signs of winter. The Niece had appeared more subdued than before, so unlike the rude and disruptive being that she had been in her brief, prior residence on the Island. The only time she had reverted to her previous disposition was when the Caretakers had first approached her mate. She has come between them and him, hissing at them, reminding the Caretakers of a Pallaskean protecting her nest.

For their part, this new pair of Outsiders, like the Uncle before them, appeared to want to contribute to the daily activities that the Island required rather than have the Lanai solely perform these tasks. At first, the pair had continued to live on the skyboat they had arrived on though they had journeyed to the Outsider’s village and the Temple that sat on the highest part of the island. The Nephew especially seemed interested in the mosaic that was inlaid on the floor of the Temple of the first Outsider who had come so long ago and who had charged the Lanai with their sacred duty.

His reaction to the Outsiders village, specifically the hut that the last Outsider, his Uncle, had stayed in, had been interesting. Alcida-Auka had shown the new Outsiders where his carefully cleaned robes had been stored along with his woollens, pack, and boots. The Nephew had seemed deeply moved when he had seen these, especially the robes; and wet droplets had fallen from his eyes. The Niece had held him, whispering words with a gentleness that Alcida-Auka would not have believed her capable of after their previous encounter. In the repository, she had shown his weapon and star compass that had stored along with the other artifacts from past outsiders. Like his Uncle before him, the nephew had appeared almost afraid of the weapon, though he carried his own with him as did his mate. The Nephew had taken the star compass though, turning it between his long fingers and showing her the different parts as she listened reverently to his words.

They had brought out the texts of the ancient Outsiders that Alcida-Auka had thought lost in the fire of the ancient uneti stump, seemingly taken by the Niece when she had left the island after her brief stay. Alcida-Auku had taken them to the charred remains. The burnt stump would be of no use as a library now, the fire damage exposing the inside to the ever changing elements of the Island, but she had shown them the fresh sapling that had mysteriously appeared some time ago within the blackened innards. A sign that the Caretakers had taken to indicate Outsiders would return to the island once more.

As time had passed on, the pair had slowly integrated more into the life of the Island including those of the Caretakers. The Nephew had assisted them in the final stages of rebuilding the hut that had been destroyed, while the Niece had joined the Caretakers in their fields and gardens. At first Alcida-Auka and the other Caretakers had observed her carefully, her destructive tendencies from her previous time on the island, now incorporated into their stories, but surprisingly she had proved herself to be a hard worker and gentle among the tender shoots as she watched and then copied their skills. She also proved to be a quick learner and, when her and the Nephew moved into their own hut in the Jedi village, she had started to lay out her own garden beside it. She had accepted the seeds and shoots that the Caretakers had gifted her with enthusiasm and had shown pride when they had come to view what she had created.

Occasionally, the Niece left on the skyboat, on which they had arrived. The Nephew did not accompany her for some reason although he always seemed melancholic at the temporary loss of his mate. Alcida-Auka was not one to pry – it was not the role of a Caretaker to ask questions of the Outsiders – but he seemed tethered to the island while the Niece was not. The first time the Niece had left, Alcida-Auka had taken food to their hut and finding him not there had left it outside, but later that day, when the Caretakers had sat for their evening meal, he had appeared bringing his food with him, indicating through gestures that he wished to join them. The younger Caretakers, her daughters among them, had gawped at the strange sight of the Outsider, awkwardly squashed into a seat at their table, and Alcida-Auka had spoken to them sharply, reminding them of their place, while he had watched them all with curiosity. He had eaten his food in silence, politely accepting the further portions offered, his dark eyes flitting between them as they had talked amongst themselves. He would of course, Alcida-Auka surmised, have no understanding of their language. It had taken the Uncle a number of seasons before comfortable conversing could occur, but his Nephew seemed content to listen and he reminded Alcida-Auka in some ways of the man who had come before.

He had returned the next night, and the following ones after that until the skyboat had returned. The Niece had brought an array of items back with her, including different creatures that were clearly beasts of burden or to be killed for food. The Caretakers had found it amusing to watch them attempt to herd the creatures up from where the skyboat rested, both falling over as they chased after the ones that had escaped the pack, though this seemed to elicit as much amusement as frustration from the pair. The Nephew had carried some of the smaller ones on his broad shoulders and eventually all the herd had been contained within the fenced area the pair had built.

There had also been other things brought of a more mechanical nature including a strange round mechanical creature that beeped and chirped, not unlike a porg, and a smaller one too, that spoke as they did. They were often to be found with the Niece, especially the larger of the two, and when she travelled alone, that one often went with her. He did not seem to care as much for the Nephew which Alcida-Auka noted with interest, the two seemingly at odds when she observed them together. There were also various other items that were brought of the ship to furnish the hut they had taken over including a strange compartment that water ran through to carry the waste they produced.

As the seasons had moved from one to the next, the further they had become involved in the daily flow of life on the Island. As the snow had come, more bitter than any winter that Alcida-Auka could remember, they had helped to clear it from the village and the paths that crossed the Island so the Caretakers could traverse the Island more easily than before. The Niece had shown amazement at the snow at first, leaving Alcida-Auka to wonder on what sort of place the poor child had grown up? Was it the one of the places that the Outsiders from before had come? The Uncle, when he had partaken of too much grog at the Festival, had spoken to them of other worlds where water was scarce, and no green shoots grew from the ground. Of other worlds that were composed of red-hot rock and fire.

One day Alcida-Auka and her Daughters had hurried towards the village upon hearing shrieks only to find the two running around in the snow, throwing balls of it at each other as younglings would do, their strange pale skins reddened. There had also been a strange collection of snow that they gathered in a way that looked like the metal creatures they kept. The Nephew, who was showing a greater affinity to learning their language than the Niece, had told them, haltingly, they were ‘snowmen’. The Daughters had gawped at them. What strange Outsiders they were to play as younglings would! Not at all like the Outsiders that their secret songs, passed down through generations, described. These two did not devote all their hours to contemplation. They were… different. Certainly, a mating pair like them did not appear in the songs. Even when groups of Outsiders had dwelled before there had been no mention of two Outsiders that had been bonded this way.

It was this that gave Alcida-Auka hope. The Uncle, one evening when he had been here for many seasons, had become melancholy when supping his grog. His eyes had become wet, the droplets falling down his lined face. Alcida-Auka had chased away the other Lanai and though she knew it was not the way of a Caretaker, she had stayed with him. And she had listened. He had spoken as if to himself, not looking at Alcida-Auka at all, but into the fire that danced in the reflection of his eyes. He spoke about a time long ago. This day marked an event that had happened then when the Force had been strong within him and darkness had been defeated. But the darkness had returned and with it fire and ruin.

He had said the Outsiders that had come before were wrong, that the Force was not theirs to master and wield alone. He was the last Outsider he had said. There would be no more after him and he was glad of it.

This strange encounter had troubled Alcida-Auka. She had not even told Terna-Gentu what had passed between them that night. If he were to be the last, what would become of her kin? Before the Uncle had arrived, there had been no Outsider’s for a long time. The Caretakers had never questioned this. They tended to the village and carried out their devotions to the outsiders as had been their sworn duty since the first Outsiders had come to this place. But what if no Outsider came again? Would the future Caretakers eventually stop their devotions, no longer content to serve those who would never come?

So, while Alcida-Auka did not approve of certain aspects of their conduct, particularly their predilection to mate wherever and whenever the urge came upon them, she had developed a fondness for this unique pair. The Caretakers, while recognising the sanctity of their devotions, had never worshipped that which the Outsiders did, what some of them had called the ‘Force’. Their own faith was woven into the fabric of the Island, the never-ending ebb and flow that the change of seasons brought. The kindly days of the summer months that were green and growing, would always ensure a good harvest of crops and a bountiful catch from the ocean. The autumn months of golden leaves blown in the winds was for gathering the crops in the cool stores to dry alongside the kelp they had also amassed, as well as salting fish to preserve it for when it would be needed in the long winter months ahead. The bleak winter, when the earth was as hard and stone and covered by the snow, brought by the frosty moaning gales was always the hardest season to bear but one that the Lanani knew to be essential. For, when the snow receded, new life could be found in the shoots of green that appeared across the island, in the new life that was sustained whether it was the young Thala Siren pups that were birthed on the shore or the new porglings that hatched in the nests of the high cliffs.

There always had to be the days of darkness and cold before the warmth and light returned. That was the balance that the Lanai’s believed in. One that Alcida-Auka could see in this pair of Outsiders, where rough words and angry posturing with their weapons was swiftly remedied by tender whisperings and their mating dance Even if it had sometimes led to a fellow Lanai observing more than they had ever wished to see.

The Niece had finally finished the regurgitation of her stomach contents and had hung rather limply to the stonework of Terna-Gunta’s home with one hand while the other hand she had dragged across her mouth to wipe away the spittle that remained. She looked at Alcida-Auka with her eyes full of sadness and moisture. Although her cheeks were flushed with the exertion the sickness had brought, her skin beneath had been paler than usual, and her features drawn. The dark shadows that had marked her face when she had first returned to the Island had been visible once more.

_This would not do_ , thought Alcida-Auka, the healer within her wanting to ease the young Outsiders symptoms.

Taking the Niece by the arm, Alcida-Auka had simultaneously manoeuvred the girl towards her own abode, while directing her nearest Daughter to fetch a pail of water and broom to clean the unsavoury contents that now decorated Terna-Gunta’s wall and pathway. Her Daughter had looked rather put out to have to carry out such an unsavoury task, but nevertheless moved quickly at her mother’s bidding. Terna-Gunta, while not the Matron of the Lanai, was just as respected by the younger caretakers and her temper along with her fastidious housekeeping was well known. The Daughter could only imagine the uproar that would be heard across the village if she returned from her tasks to find such an unsavoury gift at her door.

The Niece had offered, what Alcida-Auka recognised to be, some feeble protests but had allowed herself to be led to Alcida-Auka’s own abode. Once inside, she took the proffered chair when Alcida-Auka indicated it to her, though she had perched rather comically at its edge, taking in her new surroundings, while Alcida-Auka had fetched a large bowl just in case. The Niece had still looked rather green around the gills and Alcida-Auka had scrubbed her floor already that morning. It had not been in her plan to do it again.

Once she was satisfied that her honoured guest was settled for the most part, Alcida-Auka had started to gather the ingredients she would need. She surmised quickly that she should not stray from herbs that offered gentle remedy. The physiology of the Outsider was clearly different to her own, and she did not want to cause harm.

The dried root of the ginger plant from her own garden was an obvious choice. Many mothering Caretakers could testify to its effectiveness in easing the symptoms of nausea associated with the early months in pup. The slices that Alcida-Auka had dried earlier in the season were added to the boiling water that she had fetched from the copper kettle that was ever present at her fire.

The next ingredient was one that was often required by the villagers after the feasting and partaking of grog that occurred during the Festival of Return: mint. Alcida-Auka’s own mate, Auk-Waimanu, often required a strong cup to ease his stomach cramps after a Festival and there would often be many a furtive knock by the other males of the village throughout their visit, as they too sought the comfort of her mint tea. The dried leaves were something that she always kept an abundance of, and this had been added to the cup too.

For her last addition to the steaming water, she had grated some lemon peel as well as adding a few drops of lemon essence.

Once she was satisfied with her remedy, she took the cup to the young female, who still seemed to be ill at ease with her surroundings. Alcida-Auka had not supposed that to be unusual. The Niece had not entered the home of a Caretaker up to that point. She had been joining them regularly at the sheltered bay to wash her and the Nephew’s linens and came daily to the village to help in tasks and to collect the fish they included in their meals. However, she had remained more reserved than the Nephew, who had over the seasons been more adept at learning the ways of the Lanai, particularly their language. He also seemed more interested in their culture and the history of the Island, listening to the songs about the ancient ones who had come long before. During the times the Niece left the Island, he had continued to come to the village to partake of the evening meal and had come to Alcida-Auka’s hut after, at her invitation, to continue their discussions along with the older Caretakers.

The Niece had looked at the proffered cup of steaming tea with a wary curiosity. Alcida-Auka had indicated that she was to drink it, but the Niece had continued to look at it with her brow furrowed, as if confused as to its purpose. Alcida-Auka had indicated for her to drink it again and, trying to keep her language as simple as possible told the Niece it was ‘to help the baby’.

The Niece’s eyes had widened then. She was familiar with the word, having met one of the younger Caretakers babes at the last Festival of the Return, even taking it into her arms when the chance of a hold had been offered to her. The Nephew had looked at his mate with soft eyes, as she crooned at the infant, gently rocking it in her arms.

She had shaken her head at Alcida-Auka, hesitantly sounding the Lanai word for ‘no’. Alcida-Auka had wondered again, where the poor child had come from, that she could not recognise what her body was trying to tell her? Alcida-Auka had always ensured that her Daughters were aware of what mating would entail and the consequences it would bring. Had the Niece not had someone in her life before the island who had cared for her in the same way? Did the mothers of offspring on other worlds not guide their Daughters in the same way?

Alcida-Auka had reached out to press her small hand against the Niece’s flat abdomen. “Baby.” she repeated in the whistling speech of her language.

The Niece’s mouth had moved to form a circle, her eyes fixed on Alcida-Auka’s. Alcida-Auka had nodded at her, gently patting her hand where it rested against the Niece.

The Niece had then closed her eyes and began to take slow deep breaths. Although she did not follow the beliefs of the outsiders, Alcida-Auka felt the strange vibrations that occurred through the air whenever she was close as they carried out their devotions. A trembling in the atmosphere that immediately surrounded them, which she could not explain.

Alcida-Auka was able to tell when the Niece had found the babe within her. The air in the hut calmed again and there was a tangible feeling that spread from the Niece of happiness and warmth. As if the light of the suns had been shone especially on the little hut, bathing it in golden rays.

The Niece had opened her eyes, her mouth now forming a wide happy smile that caused her nose to crinkle. "A baby." she repeated in the language of the Lanai as Alcida-Auka took the girl's slight hand and placed it where her own had rested. She then motioned for the Niece to drink her tea, which was done with broad smiles between the sips, the Niece’s hand never leaving its place on her stomach.

Alcida-Auka had accompanied the Niece back across the island to the Outsiders village, their progress interrupted by the few times that they had to stop for the waves of nausea that were still troubling the Niece to pass. Still the Niece had eagerly resumed her journey after each pause, eager to impart the news she had learned to her mate.

As they had crested the hill, they had seen the Nephew below them, outside their home, his body moving slowly across the weather-beaten stone on the ground as he had wielded his weapon in a slow motion. The Niece had run ahead, shouting excitedly to get his attention, as she clattered down the steps to meet him. Upon hearing her call to him, the Nephew had extinguished his weapon, his face instantly brightening as it was wont to do when his mate was in his sight. Alcida-Auka had hung back in the shadows. This was their moment.

The Niece had spoken to him with excitement, her words flying from her mouth in quick succession. As she spoke, the Nephew’s expression had changed from confusion to shock, especially when the Niece had taken his hands in hers and placed them to her abdomen. His eyes wide, he had spoken. A question, Alcida-Auka had guessed, from the way the Niece had nodded at him. The Nephew had then picked up the Niece and spun her around, the triumphant shout of joy and her accompanying squeal, echoing around the hills surrounding the village.

When the Nephew had, eventually, stopped spinning her, both with joyful expressions on their faces, he had carried her into their hut. Her arms around his neck, their eyes only seeing each other, as the door was firmly shut behind them.

Alcida-Auka had turned to make the journey back to her own village, moving with her usual brisk efficiency. She was not required at this time, but she would be in the future, especially when the Niece’s babe would be due. The Nephew and the Niece may wield the power that all the Outsiders had, but they did appear to be unschooled in the more fundamental aspects of life. Alcida-Auka had assisted in the birthing of all the Caretakers young since her own mother had been Matron and had laboured with many of her own offspring. She would be ready to assist these two outsiders as well.

She had much to prepare and she began to mentally list the herbs and plant extracts she would need in the coming months. Before that though, she would have to seek out Terna-Gunta to tell her that in the near future, they would no longer call the two Outsiders the Nephew and the Niece.

For soon, they would become known as the Mother and the Father.

**Author's Note:**

> Please come and say hi on [Twitter!](https://twitter.com/ReyLo74042319)
> 
> Shelter from the Storm by Bob Dylan has been an inspiration for my head canon of their life on Ahch-To and why the series is called this.


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